Mahindra Racing signed off the Gen3 era of Formula E with a double podium at the season-ending London E-Prix on Sunday, as Nyck de Vries finished second and Edoardo Mortara third, helping the Indian manufacturer secure third place in the Teams' Championship.
The result saw Mahindra equal its best-ever championship finish, matching the third-place result it achieved in the 2016-17 season.
Mahindra had started the 17th and final race of the season from the front row after a historic 1-2 in qualifying, with de Vries on pole and Mortara alongside him.
The team entered the race fourth in the Teams' standings with 216 points, 13 behind Andretti. It needed a strong result to overhaul its rival and secure third place, and delivered on that objective with both drivers finishing on the podium.
However, the team and de Vries were left disappointed after failing to convert pole into victory. DS Penske's Taylor Barnard claimed his maiden Formula E win, becoming the youngest race winner in the championship at 22.
“We came into the weekend with a very clear objective, which was to finish third in the team's championship. We raced as a team today, we executed as a team today, and of course we are a bit disappointed for losing out on the win, but we achieved the most important objective, and that was to finish third,” de Vries said after the race.
“Happy to be on the podium together,” he added.
Mortara was pleased with Mahindra's overall result but admitted he was disappointed with his individual performance.
“The race was positive for us as a team. As you rightly said, we managed to clinch this third position that was the goal for us this race weekend. For me personally, I'm a bit disappointed today, especially during the race. There were a couple of things that for me personally I should have been executing a little bit better,” Mortara said.
“As a team, I think that we did a perfect job, and potentially I think that Nyck could have won that race with a better job from mine. Nevertheless, we're still very happy with P3, and it's a good end to a positive season,” he added.
De Vries maintained the lead during the early stages of the race and also set the fastest lap, while Mortara stayed close behind to give Mahindra control at the front.
On lap nine, de Vries remained in first place as Mortara closed the gap. Three laps later, Mortara moved past his teammate to take the lead and strengthen Mahindra's hold on the race.
The battle at the front remained closely contested, with Barnard, Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein also within striking distance, creating a five-car fight for the lead.
Mortara activated his attack mode while leading, with de Vries just 0.525 seconds behind. By lap 28, de Vries had regained first place and led Mortara by only 0.455 seconds.
Mahindra's hopes of a 1-2 finish, however, faded in the closing stages when Barnard moved into the lead. De Vries held on for second, while Mortara crossed the line third to give Mahindra a memorable double podium in the final race of the Gen3 era.
The result lifted Mahindra to third in the Teams' Championship with 229 points, matching its previous best finish from the 2016-17 season.
Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara finished second and third respectively in the season-ending London E-Prix.
Photo Credit: NDTV Profit
Mortara finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 137 points, while de Vries ended the campaign seventh with 115 points.
De Vries secured two victories during the season, winning in Monaco and Tokyo. Mortara also enjoyed two runner-up finishes, in Mexico City and Jeddah.
The campaign marked a strong return to the front-running group for de Vries, the 2021 Formula E champion, after his stint in Formula One.
Jaguar TCS Racing won the Teams' Championship with 288 points, finishing ahead of Porsche on 271. Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein claimed the Drivers' title with 169 points, securing his second world championship.
Andretti's Jake Dennis finished second in the Drivers' standings with 164 points, while Jaguar's Mitch Evans was third with 160.
The London double-header brought the curtain down on the Gen3 era, with Mahindra's double podium providing a strong finish to its most successful campaign in nearly a decade.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
